1. Field of Disclosure
This invention relates in general to producing hydrocarbons from subterranean wells using hydraulic fracturing, and in particular to remote operation and monitoring of well systems during hydraulic fracturing related activities.
2. Description of Related Art
Certain hydrocarbon production related activities, such as well stimulation and hydraulic fracturing, require the pumping of pressurized fluid down hole. During hydraulic fracturing, as an example, a fluid is pumped into a subterranean geologic formation through the wellbore. The fluid is provided at a sufficient pressure to fracture the geologic formation, thus facilitating the recovery of hydrocarbons from the formation. Fluid is pressurized by one or more pumps, which is then pumped down high pressure flow lines to the well bore.
There is a pressure zone identified around the well assemblies, which is a limited access area for safety purposes, due the high pressure options. This makes the regions in the vicinity of the well assemblies inaccessible to most individuals during frac operations. Because of such limited access to the pressure zone during hydraulic fracturing operations, operators face a significant amount of un-planned downtime due to the maintenance requirements and operational demands of hydraulic fracturing trees and manifolds. This results in delayed production and an increase in overall costs.